Spirit Sensing: Anima of the Quarry was inspired by artist Kyle Browne’s search for ‘magic’ at the historic Manship Artists Residency. Browne, influenced by the power of ritual and ceremony from her own spiritual practice, created a responsive ritual of sensing energy and connecting with the consciousness of place. This combined internal- and external- felt senses; embodiment, which included walking barefoot on the land, constructing a headdress from surrounding quarry reeds; to wearing the latter as a sensing device to connect more directly with the crown chakra; and quiet contemplation. The research was an enactment in reverence and honor of the land and the living beings on it, which created a performance that had resonance with a ceremony.
Browne met Stan Strickland, a jazz musician, and also an artist in residence at the Manship, and invited him to collaborate on the performance. Strickland and Browne both have ancestral heritage from Ireland where the Druid practice originated from ancient Celtic wisdom. Modern Druidism is a constantly evolving belief system that draws from the lessons of the living earth. For instance, the three main elements we honored and collaborated with – the sky, water, and stone – are primary to the Druid elemental system. In the artistic research for the performance and film, Browne and Stan listened and worked closely with the elements. Humans have tried to understand the phenomenal world to be nourished by it, oftentimes in ways that are only extractive, as exemplified by the quarrying industry.
The intention was to work in collaboration with the elements, in a symbiotic relationship. Observations of wonder from the audience after the live performance confirmed this experience – the way the sun came out from the clouds to shine rays on the movements, or the wind rippled the water at just the right moment – it was truly magical. The performance was an invitation to share in that reverence and create a sacred space to collectively wonder, heal, and imagine.
The magic of the performance caught Manship Board member, Ken Kinna’s eye, who also is a film editor and producer. He undertook the extensive project, in collaboration with Browne, Strickland, videographer Jack Davies and Manship Director Rebecca Reynolds, to creatively edit the footage into a short film. This enigmatic and poetic film, captures the spirit of that day and brings the viewer intimately into the experience with the performers. As of December 2024 the film has received nine international awards including for Best Director, Editing, and Art Direction. It premiered in September 2024 at the Vienna International Film Festival. To celebrate its launch and share it with our community, we held an engaging event at Rockport, MA’s Little Arts Cinema in August 2024. Browne and Strickland created a bespoke performance for the evening to introduce the film, followed by the film screening, remarks from Rebecca Reynolds, the Manship Director and a Q & A with the Artists and editor, Ken Kinna.
LINK TO THE VIDEO OF THE LITTLE ARTS CINEMA EVENT
*informed by The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth by John Michael Greer, 2006
